The 10 Types of People You Meet at Conferences

Recently we visited a few conferences such as the Kikk festival in Namur, Amuse Conference in Budapest, and VoxxedDays Belgrade. Wandering around in-between talks we saw a lot of interesting folks and we couldn’t help noticing how there are some patterns.

We were so inspired that we had to illustrate them!

Not trying to say that we don’t belong to some of those groups. We totally do! So, feel free to admit your “conference weaknesses.” Here’s the short guide to 10 types of people you meet at conferences.

1. The Collector

All free stuff are needed because hey, you never know what you or anyone you know might need in this or in any of future reincarnated lives. (Including that one as a northern hairy-nose wombat.)

2. The Sponge

They’re at multiple lectures at the same time and they have their friends thoughtfully arranged in other rooms. Still stressed out because they might miss to write notes on all of the speakers.

3. The Blogger

Watch out what you say, because everything is potential blog content and it’s being written down at this very moment. Bloggers already know what you want to say and even if you don’t say it, they might use it to create the story they find interesting.

4. The Food Critic

They eat everyone’s food including the cake you saved for your sister Maria. They fight for the idea that every meal deserves a speaker lanyard because it speaks directly to their soul.

5. The Job Seeker

They know you, and your company, and your boss’s mother in law, and in case you didn’t realize, you probably already have their CV in your left pocket.

6. The Networker

7. The Superfan

They are listening to all the talks in the room where their favorite speaker will talk, just to save a first-row seat. On Instagram, they posted a photo with the hashtag “#bestdayever” in which a 3 cm long part of their favorite speaker’s scarf accidentally dropped in. They’ll stand on your head while listening, filming, waving, and crying at their favorite talk.

8. The Partier

They think this conference about wine tasting is absolutely amazing, even though this is not a conference about wine wasting.

9. The Escape Artist

Believes that real conference is happening outside. Interested only in listening to the superstar speaker, but missed the talk because it took more than expected for the sightseeing bus to take them back to the conference.

Doesn’t come to work next day, because the conference was intensive.

10. The Innovator

Has huge experience in his long career of being a Visionary. Got ideas about ideas about ideas. Here for inspiration. And ideas.

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